My Top 10 Torquay United Memories.

Forest gull · Post by **Forest gull** » 11 Jan 2021, 19:45

portugull wrote: ↑11 Jan 2021, 16:03 Thanks Forest gull. How do you buy it? I assume not from the Club Shop?

eBay purchase.

gateman49 · Post by **gateman49** » 12 Jan 2021, 17:31

standupsitdown wrote: ↑10 Jan 2021, 19:44 I’ve gone for only good memories.......

.........Coming back from 3.1 down to draw at Woking and virtually clinch promotion back to the National League. Ben Gerring!

For a recent memory, I have to agree on that Woking match, if ever a draw felt like a win!

And even more recently, what about the 5 - 0 away game at Hartlepool this season? No fans there but what a night!

One more from the past for me was the 1 - 0 FA cup win at Ashton Gate with that sublime cross from Mark Loram met by David Caldwell.

portugull · Post by **portugull** » 12 Jan 2021, 17:48

Thank you Forest gull.

portugull · Post by **portugull** » 12 Jan 2021, 17:57

gateman49 I picked 8 out of 9 matches which I actually attended the only one I did not see in person being the epic win at Wembley featuring Tim Zorro Sills as I was living in Portugal.

I agree with you the 5-0 win at Hartlepool this season was amazing especially when you consider the Pool are now in the top 3.

If you were No 49 how many entrances were there in 1966? Cannot be 49 I guess just a number?

United62 · Post by **United62** » 13 Jan 2021, 11:09

Not quite 10, but here's some of my memories of years gone by:

28th May 1989: Bolton Wanderers 4-1 Torquay United
An incredible day with over 46,000 for our first-ever trip to the ‘old’ Wembley. I remember the scenes outside one of the pubs which was packed with men with flat caps and whippets and speaking some very strange language the likes of which I’d never heard before. Then hobbling up Wembley Way (I was still sporting a full-length cast on my left leg after a bike accident a few months previous – nothing was going to stop me that day!) among thousands of fans bedecked in blue and yellow. We lost. No-one cared. We had played at the home of English football…. and it wouldn’t be our only visit!

31st May 1991: Blackpool 2-2 Torquay United (5-4 on pens)
Going down 1-0 after only 7 minutes is not the best start to a play-off final. But adding two before the break with Wes Saunders hitting one and then about 10 minutes later Edwards converting a penalty was what dreams are made of. But then it all went tits up with poor ol’ Chris Curran putting through his own goal to level the game. Extra time ensued but with neither team making any progress, the tie went to penalties…. Nerve racking enough at the best of times… but this was at Wembley… in a FINAL… could hardly watch as the penalties flew in… fingernails bitten to the quick by every one of the 21.5k inside the stadium. Then… the last spot kick… Dave Bamber needs to score…. A collective crossing of fingers in the United end…. Up he steps…. and… left footed… HE’S MISSED… HIGH, WIDE and VERY ‘ANDSOME. Cue the celebrations!

24th January 1998: Brighton 1-4 Torquay United
Priestfield Stadium, temporary home for Brighton, Andy Gurney hitting a screamer into the top corner and then coming over to the United fans and kicking a very large hole in the advertising board. I believe this was my son’s first match where he saw his idol Rodney Jack play.

17th May 2009: Cambridge 0-2 Torquay United
Another Wembley visit. And possibly one of the most important. United looking to regain their place in the Football League. Outnumbered (quite considerably) by the Cambridge contingent, it was us celebrating on 35 minutes as Chris Hargreaves netted to put us one up. Then with 15 minutes to go… Carlisle down the right, pinpoint accurate cross to Sills… and the headed goal that sent us back to the promised land!

19th November 2011: Torquay United 3-1 Argyle
Having managed to acquire tickets for this game (albeit in the Family Stand) THAT strike by Eunan O’Kane will live in the memory for years to come. Add to this the third by little Danny Stevens and it was certainly a day to remember.

6th April 2019: Woking 3-3 Torquay United
3-1 down with 10 minutes to go. No chance. Hold on, Janneh gets one back. Can we actually nick one at the death…. Ben Wynter, take a bow! … Scenes!

gateman49 · Post by **gateman49** » 13 Jan 2021, 13:54

portugull wrote: ↑12 Jan 2021, 17:57 gateman49 ....If you were No 49 how many entrances were there in 1966? Cannot be 49 I guess just a number?

It's my year, I'm a fortyniner!

Chorleygull · Post by **Chorleygull** » 13 Jan 2021, 17:44

59/60 Utd 2 Gillingham 2;Season final home match that won us promotion, I remember Larry Baxter ending the game with blood-soaked plugs hanging from his nose.
1988 Bolton 1 Utd 2; I was just about to leave the old Burnden Park feeling slightly frustrated that Bolton had wiped out our lead, when Mark Gardner hit a screamer to give us the points. I was right behind it and knew it was going in. The frustrating thing was we did the double over Bolton but they went up and we lost to Swansea in play-off final !
Utd 8 Newport 3; Stubbsy's great five goals, of course but Reg Jenkins's screamer tends to get overlooked. I always loved going to Rochdale later, where he became a cult hero. There used to be a photo of him on the wall in the club bar at Spotland. I wonder if it's still there.
Sherpa Van Trophy final Utd 1 Bolton 4. Does my memory serve me well, was there a warm-up 7-a-side match before between the two sides, with Stubbsy turning out for us and George Best in yellow too ? Took the lead and might have held it longer but for a lucky in-off for them !
2004 Bury 1 Utd 2; we were absolutely played off the part in the first half and maybe Ryan Lowe should have a couple more but....I have never seen a more complete turn-around than the second half by Buckle's boys - we never game them a kick.
Blackpool 2 Utd 2, then the pens win at Webley. Was it Ashley Bayes, our keeper who scored one ? Then Dave Bamber rolled it past the post with his left foot, turned and walked disconsolately back, smoothing the hair back on his head. I still have the fanzine, 'Bamber's left foot'.
2004 Hull 0 Torquay 1. An utterly brilliant display by Leroy's team against a team who were second at the time. Craig Taylor was a colossus. The fans were desperate for us to sign him at one time and I thought some showed short memories at a later stage for the stick they gave him when things started to go wrong.
April2006 Carlisle 1 Utd 2. 13,000 fans turned up to Brunton Park to watch them being awarded the championship trophy in style but goals from Kevin Hill and Jo Kuffour rocked them. Unfortunately they got one back right after half-time, which meant for a nerve-wracking second half. We hung on and then went on a run that saved us from the drop into non-league. I think we had been six points adrift with four to play, or something like that.
April 2010 Grimsby 0 Utd 3; similar situation, as we went to struggling Grimsby for a real 'six-pointer' and played them off the park. The first was a pen when, I think we hit the post, the ball rolled agonisingly along the goal line to Nicky Wroe, who was about to tap it in when yanked back by their keeper behind him. Wroe calmly despatched the pen but I could never understand how the keeper didn't get sent off ! Anyway, a dazzling Muzzy Carayol put paid to them as he laid on one for Elliot Benyon with a fantastic cross from a seemingly impossible position by the corner flag and then dribbled through their defence from the half-way line to seal it.
Utd 2 Cambridge 0, play-off final at Wembley. I think Cambridge were probably favourites but we had the right players on the day. I though captain fantastic Hargreaves's goal was great, (his weaker foot ?) and tends to get underplayed for Sillsy's, understandably emotive second.
Got to throw in Stockport 0 Utd 4. We were at the end of the ground where Whitfield, Kalala et al were running riot. We were right behind Ben's crosses which were just begging to be put away.
I think that might be 11 - sorry ! Never my strong point, maths.
I'm just dreading this season being declared null and void after Gary has produced a team playing great stuff well worthy of its place in the above pantheon !
COYY !

Post by **exilegull** » 13 Jan 2021, 19:05

Chorleygull wrote: ↑13 Jan 2021, 17:44 2004 Hull 0 Torquay 1. An utterly brilliant display by Leroy's team against a team who were second at the time. Craig Taylor was a colossus. The fans were desperate for us to sign him at one time and I thought some showed short memories at a later stage for the stick they gave him when things started to go wrong.

Yep that was a superb performance, Hull were the divisions big club, fighting for the championship, big name manager in Peter Taylor and had just moved into the KC stadium and we absolutely played them off the park.

Equally memorably was the season after in league one when we took Sheff Wed apart at Hillsborough in the first half and were applauded off by their fans at half time with a 2-0 lead although unfortunately the end result was 2-2.

Then towards the end of the season battling relegation we went to Oldham who were also struggling and put in one the most complete performances I can remember, winning 2-0 with a fantastic yellow army bouncing around from start to finish. Constantine curled one onto the bar in front of the away end from about 30 yards.

Other memories from big matches..
I was pretty young for the Bolton Wanderers game, but vividly remember taking the lead in that game although not so much more about the game, but both before and after the Bolton fans were genuinely delighted that we had reached the final. Same experience when we played Wednesday in the 3rd round in 1989 and also took the lead, before Sheff Wed got 5. The Blackpool game was incredibly tense and seemed to go on forever.

1998 - Torquay 4 v Scarborough 1, we'd won 8 in a row earlier in the season, looking at automatic promotion then form fell apart and missed out last day at Leyton Orient and it felt like the season would ebb away. Then went to Scarborough and took a first leg 3-1 win. Get crowd for the return but I remember there was a fair amount of tension and the feeling it would be a tight game - within 10 minutes Jack had ended the tie with two breakaway goals and the entire rest of the match was just a massive party, with McCall adding the cherry on the cake. Shame about the Colchester match.

Then other more personal memories..
2005/6 we'd just been relegated, lost Aggy and Akinfenwa and made a poor start to the season. First match I went to was home versus Shrewsbury, came out with real tempo, Alan Connell curled a shot in off the bar in the first minute or so from outside the box, beating a certain Joe Hart in goal, Darren Garner bossed the midfield and on the right side Mamadou Sow absolutely tore Shrewsbury to pieces, looking a world beater and we ran out 2-1 winners. Next match I travelled with enthusiasm to Mansfield, arrived a couple of minutes late in pouring rain, went into the away stand, which was no longer the away stand and had to be escorted down the touchline by the stewards in front of the home stand, getting soaking wet - Mamadou Sow obviously couldn't do it on a wet weekend in Mansfield and we brought on Carl Priso for what I believe was his debut - lost 3-0.

Harrogate away in the FA cup replay, absolutely freezing, bloody awful performance which ended up going all the way to penalties as we all developed frostbite

Rochdale, a big low when Hancox was brought on a decade after the peak of his sunday league talent and then promptly gestured at the away fans

grockle · Post by **grockle** » 14 Jan 2021, 04:09

exilegull wrote: ↑13 Jan 2021, 19:05

Rochdale, a big low when Hancox was brought on a decade after the peak of his sunday league talent and then promptly gestured at the away fans

Not a big fan ,then

6667GULL · Post by **6667GULL** » 14 Jan 2021, 16:05

January 2012 Argyle away with nearly 3,000 Gulls fans seeing Mansell score the winner.

portugull · Post by **portugull** » 14 Jan 2021, 16:24

gateman49 How dumb of me!! For some reason I cannot explain I linked 49 to Football.

Chorleygull · Post by **Chorleygull** » 14 Jan 2021, 18:26

How could I forget the Spurs 3-3 in 1965 in my top ten ! I was by the corner flag at the Cowshed end. When the replay took place, a Monday night I think, I was in Newton Abbot folk club, above the Ship Inn. The word went round that Torquay had won - how Gullible we were ! A pity there isn't any archive/YouTube footage of the home match.

PlainmoorB0b · Post by **PlainmoorB0b** » 14 Jan 2021, 19:13

That Bristol City win was one of so many heroic performances that season...almost too many to mention.

I’ve been wondering if any footage exists anywhere of Dave Caldwell’s diving headed winner there and also of his debut overhead scissor kick (v Hereford at Plainmoor?) as both goals were just Roy of the Rovers and I’d dearly love to relive them again.

Any old footage of Paul Smith (remember his dribble and curled finish v Southend way back) would also mean a lot.

Here’s in hope.
Great to reminisce.

TerryTorq · Post by **TerryTorq** » 16 Jan 2021, 10:13

As a schoolboy I was also at the 8-3 win over Newport in October 1963. From memory we were 2 up after about 10 minutes but it was 2-1 at half time. According to a book I have the score was still 2-1 with less than 20 minutes to go.

Chorleygull · Post by **Chorleygull** » 16 Jan 2021, 10:58

Little correction: Gulls won the final match of 59/60 2-0 against Gillingham, to finish third. I noticed that Gateshead lost their football league place that year, although they finished up five points ahead of Oldham and six ahead of Hartlepools. Two points per win at that time.

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